Cities We Serve
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Austin AC Installation
Sizing an Air Conditioner for a House in Travis County
A new air conditioner in Austin has to be chosen for the worst afternoon of the year, not the average one. That means a real load calculation: square footage, ceiling height, which way the big windows face, how much attic insulation there is and how leaky the ducts are. Most of the systems we replace were sized by copying the nameplate off the old unit, which is how a house ends up with a unit that short-cycles in May and still cannot hold 75 in August.
Austin housing makes this more interesting than most places. A 1950s Crestview ranch has low ceilings, a closet air handler and ductwork that was added later. A 2005 two-story in Round Rock or Kyle has a 130-degree attic and long flex-duct runs. A Mueller house is tight and well insulated and often oversized by the original builder. Each of those wants a different tonnage, a different blower setting and sometimes a different kind of system, and we have installed in all of them since 1999.
The general guide to equipment choices, efficiency ratings and what an installation includes is on our AC installation page. Here we cover the Austin part.
- Sized from the house A load calculation on your home, not a guess from the old unit’s label.
- Manager-reviewed Every HVAC install over $3,000 is quality-checked by a manager. It is in the Home Comfort Guarantee.
- Licensed in Austin Texas HVAC license TACLB138285E; permitted and inspected work.
Repair or Replace
When an Austin AC Is Worth Replacing
We will always tell you when a repair makes more sense. These are the situations where it usually does not.
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It is original to a 1990s or early-2000s suburban home
The big subdivisions in Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park and Buda were built with equipment that has now run 20-plus Austin summers. Parts are scarce and efficiency is poor.
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Two major repairs in two summers
A compressor one year and a coil the next means you are rebuilding an old system one expensive piece at a time.
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It uses a phased-out refrigerant
Recharging an older system gets more expensive every year. A large leak on one of these is usually the end of the line.
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It never kept up, even when new
A west-facing Austin home with an undersized unit will not be fixed by another repair. It needs the right tonnage and better ducts.
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Summer electric bills keep climbing
Older equipment loses efficiency as it wears. Over a five-month Austin cooling season, the difference is real money.
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You are adding on or finishing a garage
More square footage on the same unit rarely works. This is the moment to resize, or add a ductless zone.
What We Install
Cooling Systems for Austin Homes
Matched to the house, the attic and the budget, with the ductwork checked before the equipment goes in.
- Central split systems The standard Austin setup: outdoor condenser, indoor coil and an air handler or furnace in the attic or a closet.
- Heat pumps Cooling and heating from one unit, a strong fit for Austin winters. See Austin heat pumps.
- Ductless mini-splits For garage conversions, casitas, sunrooms and pre-war homes with no ductwork. Common in central Austin.
- Air handlers and coils Matched indoor equipment, so a new condenser is not paired with a 20-year-old coil that cannot keep up.
- Duct repair and replacement Crushed, disconnected or undersized attic ducts waste a new system. We fix them as part of the install when needed.
- Smart thermostats Set up and wired correctly for the new equipment, including staging for two-stage and variable-speed systems.
How It Works
An Austin AC Installation, Start to Finish
No high-pressure sit-down at your kitchen table. A measurement, a written quote, and a crew that shows up when it says it will.
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We measure the house
Rooms, windows, insulation, ductwork and the existing equipment. This is where the right size comes from.
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You get options in writing
Usually two or three systems at different efficiency levels, each with a firm price honored for 72 hours. Financing is explained if you want it.
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Installation day
Old equipment out, new equipment in, refrigerant lines and drains done properly, the system charged and balanced. We tell you up front how long yours will take.
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Manager review and walkthrough
Installs over $3,000 get a manager quality check. We show you the thermostat, the filter and what maintenance the system needs.
Current Specials
Save on the work your home needs most.
Ready to Replace Your Austin AC?
A written quote, no pressure, and financing through Service Finance Company for qualified buyers.
What Our Customers Say
Don't just take our word for it — hear from our satisfied customers
★★★★★
Alex performed the winter service on my unit. This business along with Alex, are very professional and upfront about everything. To be transparent, this is the maintenance included with the purchase of a unit from them. I was informed about everything to include pictures as proof. I was told that my unit is 100% and very clean and again pictures to prove it. I was reccomended this business by a friend and glad he did. The initial purchase experience was also amazing. I had contacted 5 other businesses to get quotes about a new unit as my upstairs unit failed. 2 were outrageous quotes and I am technically still waiting on the other 3. On every instance of getting a quote, I waited about 1 week. Luckily my house has two units but still, un acceptable especially during the summer. I guess they all had so much business they did not care for mine. When I called this business not only did they come out the same day, I had the new unit installed with in 48 hrs. Oh and let's not forget the quote they gave me was the lowest of all. I can say enough good things about this business. Keep up the great work.
★★★★★
We needed a new air conditioning system because ours was over 15 years old. I decided to get several estimates from different companies here in San Antonio. Each company seemed to have outrageous prices and wanted to put me into something that was above what I needed. I decided to try one more company, Schmidt Mechanical. I went on their website early in the morning and filled out my information asking for someone to contact me. By the end of the same day, Jared was sitting at our table. I told him specifically what I wanted and what I did not want, since I had gained quite a bit of information from my interaction with other companies. We had a lot of fun sitting at the table and talking about many things, but when he put pen to paper, and gave us three choices of product, service, warranties, etc., we knew right away that Schmidt Mechanical was far superior to other companies in town. We sealed the deal and decided that the following Monday would be installation day. Keeping in mind, that would be one week from the day that we sat down and closed. The very next night, our old unit decided to call it quits and we still had six more nights to go until we get the new system. I called the after hours service line and they sent someone out by 10 o’clock that night, but unfortunately the unit couldn’t even carry electricity to be repaired. They didn’t even charge me for that service call. The next morning I called the company to ask if they had any suggestions on what we could do in the meantime. They put their heads together to come up with a solution. We were very thankful to Keith when he called to tell us they were able to rearrange schedules and carve out time in order to have our new AC unit installed two days later. Schmidt Mechanical - professional, honest, dependable, excellent customer service -- a company you will not regret doing business with. Thank you Team Schmidt!
★★★★★
I would highly recommend Radiant Plumbing. After our 17 year old system broke we bought a new AC unit from Radiant. All the people I dealt with were highly professional, explained everything well and were thorough in their inspection. They were very easy to contact, including a number customers can text with concerns or questions. They kept me well informed through the whole process. They even installed at no cost a portable AC to keep us cool before the installation. The installers, Arturo and Rene, were prompt; they arrived at the exact time we were told, and were very respectful of our home.
Radiant helped us quickly; the AC broke Thursday evening, we scheduled the repairman to come Friday, and Saturday they installed the new unit. I know it isn't always able to happen that fast but it was an extra bonus and relief to finally find an AC company that is actually available and answers the phone, unlike A US Air Conditioning, and is efficient and thorough with no high pressure salesmen, unlike ARS.
Thank you Radiant!
11/4/2020 - update
Had CJ out for the system check and he was very professional, informative, and respectful. He had some recommendations and was able to get us a replacement part for free even though we were just outside the 2yr warranty. It was a very unexpected blessing and I greatly appreciate him and the whole Radiant team.
Radiant helped us quickly; the AC broke Thursday evening, we scheduled the repairman to come Friday, and Saturday they installed the new unit. I know it isn't always able to happen that fast but it was an extra bonus and relief to finally find an AC company that is actually available and answers the phone, unlike A US Air Conditioning, and is efficient and thorough with no high pressure salesmen, unlike ARS.
Thank you Radiant!
11/4/2020 - update
Had CJ out for the system check and he was very professional, informative, and respectful. He had some recommendations and was able to get us a replacement part for free even though we were just outside the 2yr warranty. It was a very unexpected blessing and I greatly appreciate him and the whole Radiant team.
Maintenance Membership
Join the Care Club
Home maintenance for $9.99 a month.
Care Club members get two HVAC tune-ups and a plumbing safety inspection every year, priority scheduling, no dispatch fees — ever — and 5% off every repair.
- Priority scheduling
- Seasonal HVAC tune-ups
- Annual safety inspection
- Exclusive member discounts
- Free dispatch on repairs
- No long-term contracts
Austin AC Installation Questions
How big an air conditioner does an Austin home need?
Bigger than the same house would need in Dallas, and smaller than most people assume. The old rule of thumb of one ton per so many square feet is unreliable here because Austin homes vary so much: a shaded, tight Mueller house and a west-facing two-story in Kyle with a 130-degree attic can be the same square footage and need very different equipment. We run a load calculation that accounts for orientation, glass, insulation and duct leakage. Oversizing is the more common mistake. An oversized unit cools the air quickly but shuts off before it removes humidity, which is why some Austin houses feel clammy at 74 degrees.
When is the best time of year to replace an AC in Austin?
Any time it is not an emergency. Fall and late winter are the calmest seasons for scheduling, and replacing a failing unit in October instead of waiting for it to die in July means you choose the system on your terms rather than during a heat wave. That said, we install year-round, and if your system quits in August we will get you cooling as fast as we can. If you are on the fence, a maintenance visit before summer will tell you honestly whether the system will make it through another season.
Can Radiant finance a new AC system in Austin?
Yes. Financing is offered through Service Finance Company, LLC, subject to credit approval. Current options include no interest and no payments for six months, followed by 12.95% APR for 120 months, or 12.95% APR for 180 months. Your comfort advisor will show you the monthly figure alongside the cash price so you can compare. It is a way to replace a system that quits in July without waiting for the budget you planned for October. The full terms are on our financing page.
Do I need a permit to replace an air conditioner in Austin or the suburbs?
In the City of Austin and most surrounding cities, replacing HVAC equipment is permitted work, and it should be. A permit means the installation gets inspected for refrigerant line, electrical and condensate details that protect your house. We are licensed with the State of Texas (TACLB138285E) and handle the permitting for you as part of the job. If an installer offers to skip the permit to save you money, that is a reason to get another quote.
Will a new system fix the hot upstairs in my two-story home?
Sometimes, but not on its own. Hot second floors in Austin are usually a duct and return-air problem, not an equipment problem: long flex runs through a scorching attic, too little return air upstairs, and a single thermostat downstairs that thinks the house is fine. A new system installed on the same ducts will cool the same way. When we quote an installation we look at the ductwork and tell you whether it needs sealing, resizing, an added return or a zoning system. Our duct sealing page explains that side of the work.
*Offers cannot be combined with other promotions or applied to dispatch fees. No cash value. Must present offer at time of service. Call for details.
